Energy giant GE chooses Australia to launch its first branded solar inverters

A range of GE-branded solar inverters have landed in Australian, going on sale Down Under before “any other country in the world,” according to a statement from the US-based industrial giant, and targeting the “high end” of the market.

The new line of inverters – which are manufactured by GoodWe under the name GE Solar Inverter – include two single-phase models, the GEP 3-5kW and the GEP 5-10kW; and the three-phase GEP 29.9-60kW, that will target the commercial and industrial sector.

According to the website, the GEP 3-5kW is “petite,” but capable of 50% DC oversizing, 10% AC overloading and 98.3% max efficiency, giving it what GE describes as “a unique competitive edge.”

The GEP 5-10kW is billed as ultimate solution for the residential segment, with 3 MPPT (Maximum Power Point Tracking) for maximum power retention and minimum power loss.

“With a startup voltage of only 80V, this superior, intelligently efficient inverter is specifically designed to harness solar power from sunrise to sunset regardless of irradiation and weather conditions,” the literature says.

“Our analysts knew we needed world-class products, as we will be targeting the high end of the market where end-user loyalty to the brand also comes with high expectations,” said the senior managing director of GE Licensing, Thomas Buccellato.

The new products arrive on the Australian market at an interesting time, with strict new inverter standards coming into effect in December 2021 after being finalised by the Australian Energy Market Commission just this week.

As One Step reported here, the updates to the AS/NZS 4777.2 part 2 make it mandatory for all new inverters connecting to the National Electricity Market to have an undervoltage disturbance ride-through capability, to ensure household energy systems don’t ‘trip’ or disconnect when there are voltage disturbances on the network.

The rule change had been requested by the Australian Energy Market Operator, as one of three it was seeking to gain greater control and visibility over a distributed energy resource that is rapidly contributing up to 50 per cent of instantaneous demand across the grid – and considerably more in South Australia.

To that end, GE assures that its inverters have the “latest and most advanced features,” to ensure the highest quality and reliability, and will be backed in Australia by a dedicated GE Solar Inverter team.

You can see the specs for “protection” for the GEP 5-10kW invterter in the table below, and for the other two inverters via the product pages, here.

“GE Solar Inverter’s goal is to be a major contributor towards Australia’s renewable energy transition and a major technological innovator in the ever-growing Australian solar industry,” the statement says.

The inverters are available to buy from GE Solar Inverter’s nominated partners, including One Stop Warehouse and MMEM Green Tech.